Shady Boat Operators In Italy Ripped Off A Family, But The Mother Had Enough And Stole Their Money Back
by Matthew Gilligan
You really gotta keep your eyes peeled and your valuables in sight when you’re traveling in a foreign country.
Because scammers are looking to take advantage of you every chance they get!
But some crooked con artists were no match for a mom who wasn’t happy about getting ripped off.
Check out what she did while vacationing in Italy.
Try to threaten and con a tourist? Well good luck!
“I was around 7 or 8 at the time. We had gone on summer holiday to Italy and were going to Venice for the day.
My parents hadn’t travelled much and it was actually my father’s first trip abroad.
So we get to Venice in our car and park. My parents are trying to find a place where they can buy tickets for a ferry or boat across. Nobody speaks a lot of English.
A man sees them looking around and approaches them and guides us towards this small boat. There’s another couple in the boat and he gives a decent quote for sailing us across.
They were an easy target.
My parents accept. However once on the boat the price changes drastically and the man and his two partners become quite threatening and are refusing to let anyone off the boat if they don’t pay.
After a very long discussion my parents and the other couple end up just having to pay. They basically all pay all the money they have in cash (which when travelling in the 1980s was quite a lot).
The boat docks in a small passage and at the end of it you can see the Saint Mark’s Square. My mother makes sure that she is the last one to leave the boat.
Go, Mom!
As she prepares to get off the boat she quickly grabs all the money from the man’s back pocket (yes he was stupid enough to put it there and it stuck up a bit), jumps off the boat and because the men on the boat are so surprised that anyone would dare to do that they don’t immediately react and we all manage to make it to the square. And so they can’t follow.
My mother of course gives the other couple their money back. And my parents have their money back and the trip actually ended up costing them nothing.
Thinking back I have to say I am still impressed that she had the courage to do so.”
Now check out what Reddit users had to say about this.
This person commended their mom.
Another individual shared their thoughts.
This Reddit user shared their thoughts.
This reader said this is a common scam.
This mom is a superhero!
If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.
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